“A recently published interview with Apple’s former head of marketing Allison Johnson has brought to light some interesting anecdotes about the company and its co-founder Steve Jobs,” Ashleigh Allsopp reports for Macworld UK.
“As head of marketing reporting directly to Jobs for six years, during which time Apple launched both the iPhone and the iPad, Johnson has a treasure chest of memories of Jobs and her experiences at Apple,” Allsopp reports. “‘Working for Steve, you had to be playing your very best game every day. So the level at which you had to show up every day was extraordinarily high,’ she told Behance’s Scott Belsky. ‘He spent as much time in my world as he did in Jony’s world. Those were the two parts of the company that he cared about.'”
Allsopp reports, “‘Steve was so sad and so angry about the antennagate issue and how that was being portrayed,’ she explained. ‘His core leadership team were sitting around the table and he was pounding the table and saying this is not the company I want to be. This is not what we’re building. We don’t want to be that company. We don’t want people to think about us this way.'”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
iPhone 4 ‘antennagate’ class action settlement provides $15 cash or free bumper case – March 29, 2012
What did ‘Antennagate’ do to Apple iPhone 4 sales? Nothing – August 23, 2010
We’ve seen this one before: Apple iPhone 4 has an antenna-related issue; who’s really affected? – July 14, 2010
Additional testing of Apple iPhone’s 3G antenna again shows completely normal results – August 27, 2008
Apple iPhone 3G antenna test verdict: completely normal – August 25, 2008
Apple hit with lawsuit over iPhone’s 3G speed and reliability – August 21, 2008
Apple: iPhone 2.0.2 Software Update ‘improves communication with 3G networks’ – August 20, 2008
Apple releases iPhone, iPod touch 2.0.2 Software Update – August 18, 2008
Steve Jobs: iPhone 3G reception issues affect 2% of total units shipped; software update coming soon – August 18, 2008
iPhone 3G reception issues could be fixed via firmware update as early as this week – August 18, 2008
WSJ: Apple preps software fix for iPhone 3G reception issues reported by some – August 15, 2008
ABC News, Associated Press propagate iPhone FUD – August 15, 2008
Nomura analyst Richard Windsor and his extraordinary knack for sniffing out Apple iPhone ‘issues’ – August 14, 2008
Software fix on the way for iPhone 3G reception glitches – August 14, 2008
Aussie telco source blames Apple secrecy for iPhone 3G reception issues – August 13, 2008
Apple and AT&T investigating reports of iPhone 3G connection issues – August 12, 2008
Pissed! (is how Steve felt)
…and all this time I thought Phil Schiller was head of marketing.
World Wide Marketing
Sorry but I couldn’t help but bring to my mind the various versions of the edited Hitler video on YouTube when reading that bit about banging his fists on the desk. There was probably an Attennagate version of it somewhere.
There IS a classic on on the Apple Maps fiasco.
Tim Cook just doesn’t have those balls.
Nor does Sir Ive.
Forstall probably, but I am sure the ball-less got rid of him less he threaten their place because of this!
That is right…….You can go and kiss…..I mean his Thumb if you can’t find the other.
STEVE JOBS rest in peace we miss you tons
This illustrates the difference between people who care about the company they lead and the company’s customers and people who don’t. Contrast Steve Jobs’ reaction with what we can imagine was the reaction of Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan when he found out about the bad trades being done at JPM: “Oh f*ck, now I won’t get my bonus!”
Lmao
Ultimate *DING* Factor jimg.
I so much enjoy it when people ‘get it’ about business vs biznizz.
Yes, Steve Jobs was extremely pissed. It is the only time I can remember that Steve Jobs let the world see the ultra high technology Apple labs that test and developed Apple’s iPhone antenna which exceeded the other smart phones in the market.
Also, please note (Tim Cook and the Apple board) that when Steve Jobs revealed the extent of Apple’s understanding of antennas and the many labs ONLY Apple used to develop their antennas. And how Apple’s iPhone exceeded the other crap on the market. NOT ONE stood up to defend their crap. And Apple shamed the tiny room (garage/shed) lab testing being used by Consumer Reports. Apple has the bang for the buck to terminate these BS stories IF THE WANT TO MAN UP AND DO SO!!!
Some of those iPhones didn’t work. Period. Steve was angry because of that and NOT because it was some false rumor that got out of control. It would never have happened if ALL the phones worked like they were suppose to – and not because people were “holding them wrong” – famous Steve Jobs arrogance but that went away when he did.
While the name “Antennagate” is agreed to by just about everyone, for many of us it represents the rise yellow journalism in the tech news industry.
There’s so much more to the story in terms of the emotional toll it took on Jobs. Imagine being the driven man that he was and what he accomplished in so many areas while building the world largest corporation.
Then he gets sick… terminally ill.
He goes to Hawaii to spend some quality time with his family, and has to return early to deal with the relative non-issue that Antennagate was.
It was pretty much a non-issue, but by Steve Jobs saying “You’re just holding it wrong” it sure blazed up nice and high.
Link to the pretty long video of her interview (lots of insider stuff about Apple marketing) :
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over the last few years I’ve often commented on the importance of Apple marketing and image and I’ve been flamed by some saying that marketing, image isn’t important to Apple that it should only care about production (e.g : “marketing is for that Pepsi Cola salesman and see what it got Apple!”) but as Johnson says ” He (Jobs) spent as much time in my world (marketing) as he did in Jony’s world.” and how furious Jobs was about Antennagate (image).
Now without Steve Apples image unfortunately has suffered (wrongly) a lot due to spiteful press, manipulative analysts etc. The low stock price in spite of great products (64 chip, fingerprint sensor, MacPro etc) shows this.
Johnson says the main foundation of Apple marketing strategy was the product launch where the product was presented and explained. But to me that strategy to work needs an electrifying Ultra Charismatic Super Salesman like Jobs ( everybody looks at Jobs videos, even non apple fans), without him Apple needs to increase marketing , ads and P.R (Cooks’s smack back at the Haunted Empire book was a good start). They should do more like run a few mac ads to take advantage of hated Win 8…
…and replace Phil Schiller! He is not the man the company needs for this job.